Hackett Named NHL's #2 Star

Minnesota Wild rookie goaltender Matt Hackett, who had never played an NHL game prior to last week, has been named the NHL's Number Two Star of the Week. Hackett posted a 2-0-0 record to go along with a 1.01 goals against average and a .974 save percentage.

On Tuesday, Hackett made his NHL debut after Josh Harding suffered an injury in the first two minutes against San Jose. With the Wild trailing 1-0, Hackett came in and stopped 34 Shark shots on the way to a 2-1 Minnesota victory. After posting his first NHL victory, Hackett made his first NHL start two nights later in Los Angeles. He faced 44 Kings shots and allowed just two goals in backstopping the Wild to a 4-2 triumph. In the process, he established an NHL record for longest shutout streak to start a career at 102 minutes, 48 seconds.

“The first night he was just flying off the seat of his pants,” Wild Goaltending Coach Bob Mason said. “The start against Los Angeles, he knew he might play, so he had a little time to think about it. He came out and didn’t miss a beat.